September is Pediatric Cancer awareness month.
It is a cause that is very near and dear to me. My family and many friends have battled cancer for a long time... myself going on ten years this November. With the start of the school year and many other fun events in the Fall, to only does the awareness month tends to become overlooked but also as it is a disease that, as deadly as it is, is also severely overlooked.
I decided this month that I'd give you 46 facts about childhood cancer in honor of the 46 US kids who will be diagnosed with cancer today.
Alex's Lemonade Stand
1. Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15 in the US.
2. Every year an estimated 263,000 new cases affect children under the age of 20 world wide.
3. That's 720 new kids affected every day.
4. Every day, approximately 250 kids around the world die from cancer.
5. 91, 250 lose their life to the disease every year.
6. Childhood cancer is not just one disease. It is made up of a dozen types and countless subtypes.
7. The incidence of cancer among adolescents and young adults is increasing at a greater rate than any other age group except those over 65.
8. It knows no ethnic group, socioeconomic class or geographical region as it occurs randomly.
9. 1 in 330 will be diagnosed with cancer by the time they're 20 years old.
10. the causes of most childhood cancers are unknown and are not strongly linked to lifestyle or environmental risk factors, unlike many adult cancers.
11. Less than 5% of the federal government's total funding for cancer research is dedicated to childhood cancers every year.
12. 2/3 of childhood cancer patients will have long lasting chronic conditions from treatment.
13. Childhood cancer research receives just 4% of the annual budget from the National Cancer Institute.
St. Jude
14. Today, 1 in 680 U.S. adults is a childhood cancer survivor.
15. I in 5 kids diagnosed, won't survive.
St. Baldrick's
16. Worldwide, a child is diagnosed every 2 minutes.
17. Many adult cancers can be diagnosed early. In 80% of kids, cancer has already spread to other areas of the body by the time it is diagnosed.
18. Survivors are 7x more likely than the regular population to die from heart problems.
19. Survivors are 15x more likely to die from new cancers.
20. If pediatric cancer patients received childhood cancer treatments instead of those used to treat adults, 30% more would survive.
21. 6 is the average age of diagnosis.
22. 71 is the average number of years children lose to cancer.
23. About 60% of all funding for drug development in adult cancers comes from pharmaceutical companies. But for kids its almost NONE because childhood cancers are seen as "non profitable."
24. Childhood cancer is the #1 killer of children by disease. More than asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, congenital anomalies and pediatric AIDs combined.
25. 20 times more children are diagnosed with pediatric cancer than with pediatric AIDs. However, the US spends 30 times more on pediatric AIDs research than on childhood cancer.
26. 14, 483 kids will be diagnosed with cancer this month.
Pediatric cancer awareness groups
27. The American Cancer Society directs only 1% of their efforts toward childhood cancer.
28. Only 3 new drugs specifically developed for childhood cancers have been approved in the last 20 years, compared to 23 drugs for adults in one year alone.
29. Yet, hundreds of new drugs for adult cancers have been developed since 1980.
30. 1/2 of all chemotherapies used for children's cancers are over 25 years old.
31. Treatments can last 2-3 years or more.
32. The incidence of childhood cancer has increased about 29% over the last 20 years.
McKenna Claire Foundation
33. 27,000-the number of moms & dads that will hear the words, "your child has cancer," this year.
34. Brain and central nervous system tumors are the leading cause of death among pediatric oncology patients.
35. 50% of siblings show post-traumatic stress symptoms.
36. Parents experience very high levels of traumatic stress including: anxiety, depression and loneliness.
37. The average cost of cancer treatment for one child is $500,000.
38. Out of pocket costs, (with insurance) on average are $35,000 per child for treatment.
39. 35% of a family's monthly income will go to cancer-related costs that are not direct medical bills such as transportation, decreased income, and relocation for treatment.
Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach
40. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common form of childhood cancer.
Typical treatment plan for kids with (ALL)...
41. 231 missed days of school
42. 1,652 antibiotic pills to prevent infection
43. 2,504 chemo pills
44. 58 doctor's appointments
45. 47 days in the hospital
46. 8 emergency room visits
Unfortunately, the stats for many other pediatric cancers are very similar...
